Scott Satchfield / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS - Driving around the city, you've probably seen them.
You can bet they've seen you, and may have even cost you some money.
"I've gotten a ticket from the camera, yeah," said Arnold Bertrand, a driver we caught up with in Mid-City.
Since 2008, the city has used controversial cameras to catch red-light runners and speeders.
A recent push to halt the program ultimately failed, and in the time since, the city has added more cameras, stirring mixed emotions across town.
"I don't think they give you enough time to either stop or get through the light without having the camera go off," said Claudia Fenner, an Uptown resident.
Others like Mike Nash say the benefits outweigh the negatives.
"It's something that's actually needed because they have people that disregard the signals sometimes and cause accidents, unnecessarily," Nash said.
New Orleans police agree, and say cameras are making a difference.
"We're seeing a reduction in vehicle crashes. We're seeing a reduction in injuries. We're seeing a reduction in fatalities," said NOPD Deputy Superintendent Marlon Defillo.
The program began with the installation of cameras at four intersections, aimed at catching red-light runners.
Soon, cameras designed to catch speeders were added to the mix, and now there are more than 50 across the city.
They're located at busy intersections, school zones, and even fairly isolated areas, like the fringes of City Park.
Defillo says the effort continues.
"We will certainly make recommendations to the administration to say that we think this is a problem area," he said.
But while the city says the program's primary focus is public safety, it's also bringing in big bucks.
Officials say in 2010, the cameras brought in more than $15 million.
Some people we talked with believe that's the true motivation, while others agree with the safety idea -- like Angela O'Malley, who lives near the camera at Henry Clay and Coliseum Uptown.
"I know that camera goes off a lot and I think people who've gotten tickets are more consciously aware of controlling their speed when they're on this street," O’Malley said.
